DETROIT (WXYZ) — A singer-songwriter's book for young children has caused an uproar on social media.
Some angry posters are calling for a boycott of the book titled: “No More Poems!: A Book In Verse That Just Gets Worse," by musical artist and author Rhett Miller.
The controversial poem in the book called "Brotherly Love," talks about a girl dealing with her annoying little brother.
Part of the poem reads:
"Feed your brother poison.
Maybe drop him down a well.
And I'm the one who'll wind up.
Living in a a prison cell.”
Kayla Sykes, a mother of two young girls, purchased a copy of the book at Costco.
“It was before my girls went to bed," Sykes explained before they discovered the controversial poem. . "They were sitting on my lap and we were reading together."
Skyes is also a second and third grade reading teacher. She describes the poem as “horrifying” and “absolutely disturbing.”
“I literally felt like I was going to vomit,” Sykes said.
Amazon.com markets the book to children ages 7 to 10. 7 Action News reporter Rudy Harper found a copy at a local Barnes and Noble bookstore.
However, the poem has its fans too on social media.
Author and singer-songwriter @rhettmiller under fire for a poem he wrote in his children’s book #NoMorePoems. He’s received backlash after a post by a mother online, who called it disgusting and inappropriate for young readers. What do you think about this poem? @wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/y6Rq0abhVS
— Rudy Harper (@RudyHarperWXYZ) April 30, 2019
It appears the writer, @rhettmiller has not directly addressed the criticism. However, he did post this... and a poem by well-known children’s book writer @ShelSilverstein pic.twitter.com/ufOZ7FgSRl
— Rudy Harper (@RudyHarperWXYZ) May 1, 2019
Costco has pulled the book from shelves at some stores.
Rhett Miller posted on Twitter, but has not directly addressed the criticism. Sykes told 7 Action News that Miller, the book's author, blocked her from his social media page.
